Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-03-16
LIFE IN THE WILD WEST.

In the eternal snow banks lying in the
shadows cast by the lofty peaks of the Sier-
ra Madre mountains, just north of North
park, Big creek has its rise. 1t is rapid,
foamy stream of ice water, flowing through
dense forests of pine. On the banks about
two miles from the foot hills, and at the
head of the meadow, stands small hut
hut consists of pine poles placed side by side
and covered with clay. The floor is of logs,
roughly hewn to an uneven surface, like
railroad ties. The spaces between the floor
logs are filled with rubbish and litter. The
interior of this dwelling is sixteen feet by
twenty feet. Two small windows admit
light. Against the eastern end of the room
stands a rusty, battered old cooking stove.
Two rough shelves extend from the rusty
stove pipe to the corner of the room. These
were laden, when last visited the ranch,
with tin plates, tin cups, baking powder
cans, plugs of chewing tobacco, dirty tobac-
co pipes, a roll of streaked butter, bits of
bread, bread board, dirty spoons, and two
SLOUGH hats.
Against the northern wall gun rack,
made of antelope horns, was solidly nailed.
In the rack were four heavy repeating rifles
and four powerful field glasses hung by
them. Two hunks filled with hay occupy
the northwest corner of the room. A roll
ofheavy California blankets lies at the head
of each bunk. A long, rough, greasy table
stands in the centre of the room. Around
it empty boxes, once filled with canned
vegetables, are placed for seats. Rolls of
blankets, rolls of buffalo robes, and two
bearskins occupy the space at the base OF
the southern wall. Piled up high in the
southern corner are sacks of -four, slabs OF
bacon, bags of sugar, boxes of canned goods,
and various kinds of provisions. For read
ing matter few well-thumbed pictorial pa
pers, which pretend to set forth the doings
of the depraved people of the country, are
on the greasy table. Clothes of canvas and
flannel shirts hang on pegs all around the
room. Two small oil lamps, never, under
any circumstances, cleaLed or trimmed,
stand on little shelf over one of the win
dows. There is a lantern standing on the
floor under one of the hunks, and two sad
dies under the other, and large quantity
of unlisted litter and portable property
scattered over the floor. Such is the adorn-
ment of the interior of this choice retreat,
the home of the cattle raisers. Outside OF
the house is a row of saddle pegs, driven
into the topmost log. A tin wash basin sits
on bench which stands near the door and
a piece of yellow soap lies beside it, while
dirty jack towel flutters from peg above.
On the ground are antelope skins that long
exposure to the weather has rolled into balls.
The fleshless heads of elk, deer, and an
telope are scattered along the base of the
building. They will be nailed up next
Tuesday afternoon-but next Tuesday after
noon never comes. The heads, legs, and
feathers of sage hens and other grouse, the
heads and feet of jack rabbits, bones, old
boots, cast-off clothing, and pile of empty
tin cans, with outlying cans as sentlnels,
litter the ground in front of the house.
Twelve feet in front of the open door there
is very small pile of firewood, against
which a dull axe with a crooked handle
leans, as though it were alive and weary of
ranch life. One hundred yards north OF
the house large logbarn stands, it has been
there for four years, but is not chinked and
mudded, but will be chinked and mudded
next week, which, of course never comes.
There is on the ranch hay rake, two
moving machines, two wagons, and three
heavy-headed dogs that are so weary OF
ranch life that they do not take sufficient
interest in its affairs to bark at a stranger.
If there were any other articles of personal
property around this home of the cattlemen,
they were so securely hidden that l did
not see them. Of course there were many
cattle and horses grazing in the valley and
on the steep hill.sides.
Eight men lived in this dirty, vermln-
infested hut. They cooked, ate, smoked
and chewed tobacco, and slept in the one
room. They washed in the same basin, fire.
quently in the same water, and dried them
selves on the same jack towel. Uncultivat-
ed young blackguards? Not at all. Well
educated young men, who thoroughly un-
derstood their business Of handling 3-year-
old steers, and who were making money
rapidly. When they were in the East they
lived as gentlemen should. In the West
they live like swine, thinking nothing OF
it.-Frank TflkerSon, in Ne,o York SIN.